


Hereupon Helpless

by not_miss_marple



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Gen, Kind of a character study, Midnight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-27 11:22:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_miss_marple/pseuds/not_miss_marple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short oneshot of the Doctor's POV during Midnight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hereupon Helpless

The Doctor truly wanted to help whatever was possessing Sky—not that it really deserved help, after murdering Driver Joe and the mechanic—and he was absolutely certain that he would find a way to help it and get Sky back. He'd told it that he would help, had stared sincerely into Sky's blank, almost hungry eyes and promised a way out.

Then it had reached out, reached into his mind. He'd accepted its presence, eager to know what it wanted. It didn't try to tell him for a while; it seemed to be searching him like a frightened animal. He continued speaking out loud, watching for any sign of—

It leapt into his mind, surrounding his consciousness and taking away any control he had over his body. He tried to fight back, but it blocked his mental defenses, burning his mind painfully, and began taking over his mind and his voice.

None of the humans noticed the smug sneer on Sky's face. They were deaf to the triumphant tone of her voice and the terror in his. It had coaxed them into believing a lie, into thinking that HE was the one possessed.

And there was nothing he could do to convince them otherwise while they dragged him to the door to throw him out. He was screaming, sobbing, begging inside his head. But who would hear him? It laughed inside his head but he hardly heard it; it continued to drain him of independent thought and personality, using phrases he'd repeated over and over again for the simple purpose of torturing him.

But he wasn't the only one to notice the malicious uses of his voice. The hostess threw herself at Sky, forcing both of them toward the open door.

He vaguely heard himself screaming and he felt the presence in his mind being ripped away until he could feel again. He collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath and nearly sobbing with relief from the sensation of movement. His mouth was functioning on motor movements and he didn't bother stopping the words spilling out of his mouth, reassuring himself in the absence of a companion.

After a while, he struggled to pull himself up. No matter how much he wanted to just curl himself into a ball and express his relief and the terror that prowled not far from his panicked mind, someone had to lead the others. Still, he was sure that he would probably end up in his room on the TARDIS as soon as he got back. He knew he could break down there in complete safety.

"I said it was her," Val rasped, interrupting his thoughts. He didn't have the strength to respond, but the look he shot her said all that he couldn't.

He wasn't in the mood for liars. He just wanted to go home.

\---

 Donna's sympathetic face flooded him with relief tempered by weariness. She didn't speak, didn't ask what was wrong. She simply opened her arms to him and allowed him to relax into her embrace until he could speak.

"I can't imagine you without a voice," she murmured later.

He gave her a halfhearted smirk and responded, "Molto bene."

"Molto bene," she mimicked, and suddenly he saw a flash of Sky's eyes and felt the ghost of her presence in his head.

"Don't," he said, pushing down the panic that made his hearts hammer faster. He shuddered. "Don't," he repeated.

The sorrow in her eyes convinced him that he didn't need to explain. The terror and pain he felt showed clearly enough on his face that Donna understood.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from "My Mind Is" by E. E. Cummings


End file.
